Asiana airlines nixes TV lawsuit over pilot names

Asiana Airlines has decided not to sue a local TV station over a broadcast in which the station falsely reported racist and offensive names for the pilots in the the airline’s crash landing in San Francisco, according to reports Wednesday.

An airline spokesman told CNBC that after KTVU’s public apology, Asiana will not pursue legal action. CNN also reported Asiana no longer planned to sue.

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“Asiana Airlines has decided not to proceed with the case since KTVU has issued a formal apology and in order for us to focus all our efforts on managing the aftermath of the accident,” the South Korean company said in a statement, according to Reuters.

Asiana had said on Monday that KTVU’s Friday broadcast damaged the airline’s reputation and that it would sue for defamation.

The Oakland, Calif.-based TV station said it confirmed the names with the National Transportation Safety Board before its broadcast, and the NTSB blamed a summer intern for the error, who is reportedly no longer with the agency.